Category Archives: Photographs

How to Find the Metadata Embedded in a Photo

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Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake. Mid-morning. September 24, 2015.

Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake, September 24, 2015.

This article will show you how to find the metadata embedded in a photo in any of four different ways: iPhone, Windows 11, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Bridge. I was asked in a recent email if it was possible to determine what camera was used to take a digital photo. The answer is yes, provided: (1) the camera saved that information in the metadata for the photo at the click of the shutter, and (2) the metadata has not been stripped out of the photo at some later time. In addition to the camera being used, the metadata usually tells you the lens that was used, the date and time of the photo, the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and in some cases, the GPS coordinates of the photo.

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Camera Test

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September 17, 2015.  Ten years ago today.

I had just acquired a brand new Canon 7D Mark II and I was testing its focus tracking ability on moving subjects. Our dog Sunny was my test subject. It is 10 years later and the Canon 7DII is still my preferred wildlife, sports, and action camera.

Two Photographers and Eleven Outdoor/Travel Writers Pick the Best National Parks for Fall

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Long’s Peak and Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park

Fall is a fabulous time of year to visit the national parks. Crowds are usually smaller than in the summer, temperatures are cooler, and some of our national parks have glorious fall colors. With so many to choose from, where should you go? Which national parks will provide the best photographic opportunities in the fall?

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The Best National Parks for Fall Photography

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Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

What are the best national parks to photograph in the fall? Here are my choices, grouped by state and province from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to, plus the ones I most want to see based on the recommendations of the photographers I trust, like Tim Fitzharris and QT Luong. More about them later.

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Outtake of the Day: Poses

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Poses

Poses and I were traveling across far northern Michigan and we stopped at Legs Inn in Cross Village Michigan for lunch. (“Poses” is her professional name.) Fortunately for us, we were seated at a table that had just about perfect portrait light. Nice, neutral light was coming in from an outside window on the right (camera right), and soft, warm interior light was coming from the left.

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Alaska, August 30

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Caribou on the Taiga, Denali National Park, Alaska. August 30, 2000.

A bus load of photographers was on a photo excursion in Denali National Park with George Lepp. He spotted this caribou, told the bus driver to drive down the road a few hundred yards and stop. Then we got out and waited, a lined up in a row. George told us to wait, be quiet, and move as little as possible. If we did what he said, he predicted the caribou would eventually walk right by us. It did. We all got great shots. Then he explained how he knew where the caribou was likely to walk. This image is part of my fall color series.

Colorado Fall Color Photography and Travel Guide – 2025

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Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake. Mid-morning. September 24, 2015.
Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake. Mid-morning. September 24, 2015.

Headed for Colorado this fall (or any other time of year)? Welcome to my complete Colorado fall color photography and travel guide with 136 photos, 18 maps, and over 100 pages of information (if you print it all out). I cover some of the best known fall color locations in Colorado, and most of these locations look great any other time of year. Spend anywhere from two days to two weeks exploring the beautiful Colorado Rockies at a gorgeous time of year.

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Original vs Optimized

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Vet sign, original and optimized

Digital cameras have a tonality range that is much more limited than what our eyes can see. Because of that, in some situations the digital file falls far short of what our eyes see when we click the shutter. When I “optimize” an image, my goal is to use software to create an image that is as close as possible to what I was seeing when I clicked the shutter. This photo is an example.

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Don’t Shoot on Railroad Tracks

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Samantha, July 10, 2011, RR tracks, Ohio.

When I created this image 14 years ago this evening, shooting on railroad tracks was popular and still pretty much an accepted thing. I have several railroad track images in my collection. All kinds of professional and amateur photographers created images on railroad tracks. A Google image search will turn up hundreds of photos. Careful photographers chose long, straight sections of track with great visibility and they paid attention.

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Photos: 4th of July Parade

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4th of July parade collage in chronological order. Individual photos follow.

Every year I photograph the annual 4th of July parade in Lamoni Iowa. In addition to the 14 “selects” I share below, I discuss the equipment I use, the number of photos, and at the end of this article I describe what I look for when I photograph a parade. “Selects” is a newspaper/magazine word for the best photos (the photos selected) out of all the photos created. An editor working on an event article might say to a photographer, “Send me a dozen of your selects”, so the photographer would send 12 images out of all the photos that were created at the event.

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Google Maps Tracking

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Google maps tracking for July 19, 2024.

If you have the Google Maps app on your phone, you can turn on or off the ability of the app to track your travels. Some people like this and some don’t. You can turn tracking on and off any time you want. The map does not drop bread crumbs that track your exact routes. It draws straight lines between stops. Each round symbol on the map shows one of my stops for the day. Most of these are photo stops but some are for food, gas, or other necessities. By using two fingers on the map on your phone’s screen, you can zoom in or out on the map.

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Happy Birthday Big Bend!

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Sunset, "The Window", Chisos Basin

Sunset, “The Window”, from the Chisos Basin.

Big Bend National Park was officially established June 12, 1944. Generally I don’t like deserts. I like mountains, high altitude lakes and streams, cool breezes, and pine scented air. So imagine my surprise when I fell in love with Big Bend on my very first visit.

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“Napalm Girl”: Who Created This Famous Image?

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Children flee a napalm attack in Tr?ng Bàng on June 8, 1972. Left to right: Phan Thanh Tam, who lost an eye, Phan Thanh Phouc, Kim Phuc, and Kim’s cousins Ho Van Bon, and Ho Thi Ting. The “Napalm Girl” photograph galvanized an anti-war movement in the United States.
Associated Press/AP

53 years ago today a photographer clicked his shutter and one of the world’s iconic images was created. Officially known as “The Terror of War”, until recently it has been attributed to AP photographer Nick Ut who won a Pulitzer Prize for this image.

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